Water main in Breck springs a leak

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mage to a water main caused water to pool out of the ground in the Silver Shekel area near Breckenridge Thursday morning.

The break is believed to have been caused by large rocks near the water main pipe. While present-day practice requires that a water main be installed on a bed of gravel, with a second layer of gravel on top, older pipelines were not always installed in this manner. Many of the older pipes, such as those in the Silver Shekel neighborhood, sit next to large rocks instead.

"When they freeze and contract and get warmer and colder, the rocks have a tendency to break or damage the pipes," said Kim Dykstra-DiLallo, director of communications for the town of Breckenridge.

Between 10 and 20 homes around the north end of Shekel Lane have been affected by the damage. Currently they are receiving water at a reduced pressure in order to minimize the loss of water through the water main leak.

Crews now are working to warm up the ground in order to be able to reach the damaged water main. Repair work is scheduled to begin Monday from 9 a.m. until late afternoon, during which residents from 121 to 272 Shekel Lane will not have water available.

According to Dykstra-DeLillo, water main leaks are common in the Silver Shekel area due to the age of the neighborhood.

"On top of that, we do have a 10-year repair replacement plan for some of these older neighborhoods," she said. "That is the Town of Breckenridge Water Division plan, to be able to replace some of these older pipes and get them installed to the standards of today."